Ironman announces new California event
Ironman has announced a new 70.3 race in southern California — Ironman 70.3 Indian Wells-La Quinta is set to take place on December 9, 2018. General registration opens on January 18, 2018.
“We are excited to expand our offering of events in California,” said Beth Atnip, Head of Operations, North America. “Partnering with Indian Wells and La Quinta allows us to showcase this amazing landscape while also expanding the North American triathlon season later in the year for our athletes.”
The Ironman 70.3 Indian Wells-La Quinta triathlon will begin with a 1.2-mile swim in Lake Cahuilla. The 56-mile single-loop bike course route will then take athletes on rural roads past palm tree farms before returning through the city of La Quinta and into Indian Wells. The flat course provides gorgeous views of the Santa Rosa mountains but is below sea level. Athletes transition from the bike to the run adjacent to the iconic Indian Wells Tennis Gardens stadium. The two-loop run course traverses from the Indian Wells Tennis Gardens over to the Indian Wells Golf Resort. The course design also allows for fantastic spectator viewing along the course.
“La Quinta is an active lifestyle city that attracts world class athletes in many sports,” said Linda Evans, Mayor of La Quinta. “We are thrilled to host triathletes of the Ironman 70.3 and share the energy of La Quinta with them.”
The inaugural Ironman 70.3 Indian Wells-La Quinta event will offer 30 slots to the 2019 Ironman 70.3 World Championship taking place on September 8 and 9 in Nice, France as well as a professional prize purse of USD $25,000.
The December race calendar is shaping up to offer many new races across the globe in 2018. Last month, Challenge Family announced the introduction of Challenge Daytona to take place on December 8 and 9, 2018.